Three Words: Spain
by September Samstar
Summary: Ever want to read a story just for the fluff? Well, here you go, a collection of one-shot fluffy stories between Spain and the love of his life. Each chapter revolves around three words mentioned at the beginning of very chapter with Spanish translations. Human AU. New: Chpt 12 Beach Day and pregnancy fluff.
1. Household Chores with You

**Introduction (Please Read!):**

**Just a collection of one-shot fluff stories written about the relationships between an OC and Spain, not in chronological order. Each story revolves around three Spanish words that do not necessarily relate to each other. This is a sample of what one looks like. Please send me three words with a review, in Spanish or English, and I will try my best to create a story using those three words as the focus. No curse or sex words please, those suggestions will be ignored; the highest the rating will be is T. **

**Note: Querida means dear and will be an unrelated word in a lot of chapters **

* * *

La ropa: The clothes

El agotamiento: The exhaustion

Los ojos: The eyes

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At the fringes of her consciousness, Faith Carriedo could hear the sound of water splattering down somewhere, and she slowly tried to pull herself out of her trance-like state. She was spread out on the rug at the floor of the flat she shared with her husband, Antonio, waiting for him to come out of the shower, and was absolutely exhausted. After a long day of working a double shift at the Carriedo Restaurante, her feet were ready to fall off, and her eyes no longer had the will to stay open. But just because the day was over didn't mean that the work was. In the Carriedo household, Tuesdays equaled wash days.

Washing was a time-consuming chore that took up more energy than Faith thought she had. In the majority of the houses and flats Spain, there were no dryers, just a massive indoor clothesline that one had to rig up every time they did wash. And unfortunately, their flat was apart of that majority. To add insult to injury, having company over on Wednesday was next to impossible, unless you didn't mind them seeing your underwear as it slowly dried.

Finally the water shut off for good, signalling that Antonio was done in the shower. He was probably just as tired as she was, Faith thought. After all, he did get to the restaurant even earlier than she did around 10 in the morning to prepare for the lunch crowd, and not coming home until the place was closed at midnight with her. The creak of the old bathroom door alerted Faith to the fact that he was out of the bathroom. With a sigh, she quickly got up, the only way she figured she would ever leave her not-so-comfortable resting spot, and headed back. Unfortunately, this speedy wake-up meant that she was greeted with the sight of her husband's naked butt as he dashed back to the bedroom.

Nothing she hadn't seen before, they were married after all, but still, it was an unexpected sight. She couldn't help the strangled squeal that sprung out of her mouth. Antonio just laughed.

"Toni!"

"Querida, there aren't any clean towels!"

"Ugh, don't remind me!"

"What's wrong?"

"It's Tuesday Toni."

"Wait it's Tuesday! Oh yeah, we got in a shipment of fresh fruit at the restaurant today," he said while yawning loudly. Faith couldn't resist rolling her eyes to the ceiling as she gathered up the dirty clothes bag. Sometimes her husband could be so clueless.

"Yes, and Tuesday is wash day."

"Oh. Do you want some help?"

Faith finished gathering up the laundry and turned to head out the bathroom door. "I don't think there-," she said, before smacking right into Antonio's chest. He had braced himself up against the doorway, his hands over his head leaning against the top of the frame, this time fully clothed. However, nothing could hide the contours of his arms, muscular from lifting heavy bags of food for the restaurant.

"Ow."

"Sorry. C'mon, let me help." Faith shrugged and handed him the bag, or at least tried to. His arms were still pushing up on the top of the door jam, and the bag ended up sandwiched in between them as Antonio leaned in toward his wife. Faith tried to stifle a yawn, her eyes closing and opening quickly, as she raised her eyebrows in appreciation.

"Bet we can't make it to the laundry room without using our hands," Antonio dared with a smirk, the corners of his eyes crinkling up. He released his hands from the top of the door and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Faith stopped another yawn as she smiled and she wrapped her arms around Antonio's waist, and leaned her face against the bag and his chest, closing her eyes. It was like a turtle shell, sheltered from the cold apartment and dark enough to fall asleep in. The two walked slowly back to the laundry closet.

"Ok we're here Faith."

"Five more minutes," she mumbled.

"When we're done you can sleep all you want. Faith Carriedo just has the late shift tomorrow, and only the late shift."

"Really?" Faith said, as she looked up at Antonio, eyes wide. There it was, that smile that she loved staring down at her.

"Yeah, well, I just happen to know the person who owns the restaurant quite well, and he was working on the scheduling while I was cleaning up and I decided to put in a good word for Faith." He shrugged and separated himself from their warm embrace, placing the laundry bag down as he went to grab the clothesline. "Don't tell her," he whispered over his shoulder, "but I totally have a crush on her."

"Oh really," Faith said, playing along, as she began loading the clothes and the detergent into the washer. "A crush on Faith?"

"Yep. There is something about her. I don't know what it is, but I just..." he sighed dramatically as he worked on the apparatus. "I think I'm in love!"

"You need to call Francis. You know I'm no good at this kind of advice." The whites were finally all in the machine. Now only a 40 minute wait until they were done...and then it was time to do the color load.

"I know what I would do right now, if she were right here," he pondered, as he walked away from the finished spider web and towards his wife. Faith felt his arms spinning her around to face him, before lifting her up onto the top of the washing machine, as her stomach dropped. She loved her husband, she really did, she did not have any energy for any shenanigans tonight. Antonio's voice dropped as he whispered in her ear, "I'd kiss her like this." Gently he leaned back a bit, and kissed her at the corners of her eyes. He leaned back and looked into her eyes. "She looks a little tired."

Faith exhaled, feeling tears prick the corner of her eyes. She gave a big smile to her husband, relief seeping through. "Thank you Antonio" she whispered. His eyes crinkled up and he let her down off the washer.

The two dozed against the washer until the wash is done, waking up to of course hang up the whites and to load in the colors, and then when the colors were done, they too were hung up. When all was done they went back to the bedroom, turning out the lights as they went, hand in hand. Snuggling together, the two shared one last tired smile, one last crinkle of the eyes, before closing them and surrendering to sleep.

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**A/N: Well I'm back to writing Fanfiction with another series. This time I have some more parameters, so hopefully it will turn out better than the last one.**

**Remember, send in a review with your words so that this story doesn't get in trouble! Positive, negative, I really don't care, just your opinion and some new inspiration.**

**Happy 2015 everyone! Te Amo Amigos de internet!**


	2. First Meeting You

El Jabón-the soap

El Cielo-the sky/heaven

La Electricidad-the electricity

* * *

Antonio had just started his shower when the electricity went out. He knew he had two options. He could stop his shower now and rinse off while the water was still hot, or he could keep going and hopefully finish before the water turned cold. Antonio, ever the optimist, chose to keep going.

Unfortunately, that was not the right choice.

Once he finally got all the soap suds on his body and went to rinse himself off, the water spat back at him freezing cold ice shards.

"Aww crap," he hissed, as he quickly hopped out of the shower. Relentless optimism or not, he was not getting back into there. It was always funny how even in the relentless heat of the summer, the water could still be shockingly cold. So he wiped the soap off of himself as best as he could with his towel and dressed in boxers, black sweats and a white t-shirt and crashed on his couch. It was his day off, and he did technically have plans for the day; he was supposed to catch up on the cleaning in his apartment, but of course those plans were now impossible without the vacuum and hot water. However, after a while, it soon became clear that without the fans that he usually had going in the summer time, the air in the flat was stale and stifling. Opening a window was a possibility, but then he would have to deal with the bugs that would inevitably come into the flat and remain for weeks afterwards.

The only viable option would be to go outside and seek out some place that might have electricity, or at the very least, maybe get the occasional breeze, with the addition of just having something to actually do. Again, Antonio was ever the optimist. So he hopped up and grabbed his keys, locking the door behind him. His flat, situated in the downtown sector of the city, was bordered by several businesses. Picking a random direction, he ambled down his street, peeking inside different businesses to see if there was any activity to indicate the power might still be on. The sky above was a bright, brilliant blue, not a cloud to cover up the bright sun bearing down on his shoulders.

An hour later, even Antonio's relentless optimism was beginning to fail him. None of the places that he passed looked to have electricity, except for one or two grocery stores with back-up generators, where he popped in to buy some tomatoes with the reasoning that he could never have too many. Plus they would make a great meal on days when he didn't feel like cooking. He didn't stay for too long though, the call of adventure beckoned him forward. After all, he had been stuck either in the restaurant, or in his flat, trying to keep up with the mess that he made. With the exceptions of the few meet-ups he could arrange with his college buddies, whenever one or both of them were in town, he really hadn't been out

And now he is beginning to regret it.

Sitting down at a bus stop, the glass walls doing nothing to distort the sky's view of the sweltering Antonio, the man takes a tomato out of his bag and absentmindedly started munching on it. He wasn't terribly tired, after all, he was used to being on his feet in the restaurant. But it was time to take a break, figure out how much time had passed and what to do next.

While he was thinking, he blankly stared at the cars around him. Not very many pedestrians were out. He watched a man walk across the length of the other side of the street, only to turn the corner and to be replaced by a girl in a short-sleeved shirt and jean short going in the opposite direction. She traced the steps of the man before her until the crosswalk, where she began walking in the direction of the bus stop. Antonio noticed her with muted interest, but perked up a little bit when she came to sit next to him.

"Good morning," he said around a bite full of tomato. She looked at him and pulled the ear buds out of her head.

"Sorry, what did you say." Spain gave a flustered smile, internally kicking himself.

"Uh, just good morning." She took in his flustered state, giving a small smile.

"Good morning." She keeps her ear buds out, but doesn't say anything. The silence gets to them both, making them feel awkward, so Antonio finished off his tomato to give him something to do. The girl, missing his actions as she tried not to stare too much turned back to him and quickly said, "You know you have soap in your hair right?"

Poor Antonio, with his mouth full of tomato, reached up to his hair with his free hand and while combing his hand through, came out with a sticky mess of soap, bubbles included. The soap had practically baked into his hair due to the light of the sun high over his head. His face flushed to the same shade of red as his tomatoes.

"Ahh no..." he trailed off bashfully. Quickly he tried to comb it out, with little success. He struggled for a minute before she finally spoke again.

"Do you want some help? I mean, you don't have to, but it just looks like it's a hard thing to fix yourself."

"Sí por favor." He bent down a little bit so that she could get a better reach of his soft hair. With some fumbling, she managed to comb out the soap left in his hair. What she didn't know was that every tug of the hair was like a shot of electricity up his spine.

"There, I think it's all out."

"Gracias señorita..."

"Faith."

"Encantado Faith. Me llamo Antonio." He quickly stuck out his tan hand, and she did the same. They quickly shook. Antonio could see the bus pulling up to the light.

"Are you getting on the bus?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, you?" The man shook his head, the bus was going in the opposite direction of the house, and if the stores across the street were any indication, the power was back on. So when the bus came to the stop, after exchanging farewells, she boarded the bus and he began walking back. But Antonio couldn't shake the feeling that this was the start of something, what he didn't exactly know. He turned around to watch the bus go, to get have it's trailing sight for his final memory of her.

But as he turned around, the unexpected sight he beheld in the back window of the bus was her face, with a farewell wave. Antonio raised a hand in return and the bus disappeared around the corner.

Then he too turned around and headed home, tomatoes in tow. Just a nice stranger at a bus bench willing to help out his hopeless case. Nothing more.

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Nos conocemos cuando tuve jabón en el pelo.-We met when I had soap in my hair.

Había electricidad cuando me toques.- There was electricity when you touched me.

Algún día, voy a tener tu como mi cielo.- Some day I will have you as my sky.

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**A/N: Here's chapter 2! Let me know your thoughts!**

**Te Amo Amigos de Internet!**


	3. Caring for Something with You

Alquilar-to rent

Saltar-to jump

La Foto-the photo

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"Antonio!" Faith called as she unlocked the door to get into his flat.

"Hey querida!" Faith walked over to where her boyfriend was sitting at his desk and hugged him from behind.

"Whatcha doing?"

"Paying rent. I'm almost done, then we can go."

"Ok." Faith picked up a duster cloth and began to dust the flat as Antonio finished transferring his money on the computer. Her boyfriend was a bit messy, but at the same time he knew where everything was, and that was all that mattered to Faith. She wasn't one become OCD when things were out of place, the state of her own flat speaking loud and clear for her. And besides, it's his apartment, his responsibility. But still, this dust was appalling, and it kept her occupied for a bit.

"Alright, all done. Let's go," Antonio said, interrupting her before she had really started, as he jumped up, grabbing his keys. Faith put down the cloth in a corner and the two headed out the door and down the the ground floor to be greeted by the sight of a red wagon, big enough to pull four children, filled with baby tomato plants. Antonio smiled.

"This is what you used to bring the plants?"

"Yeah, I saw it in this old family photo and then I found it in the back of my parent's place. I kinda am renting it for forever." Antonio tipped his head back and laughed.

"Good one chica. I like it. What are you paying them for it?"

"My mom wants me to stop by twice a month for dinner. I think she's still scared I'm gonna leave the country."

"But you're not." Antonio said, as he began pulling the wagon, keeping his eyes straight ahead so Faith couldn't see the brief look of worry that crossed his face.

"I got a couple things keeping me here," Faith said, with a smile. "Plus it helps that I'm employed at the best restaurant in town."

"You know that probably does help. I wasn't thinking of that though. I thought it was your stunning new boyfriend." She linked hands with Antonio at that.

"He's quite the modest one too." Faith said with a wink. Antonio really only brought up any positive qualities about himself when he was joking; overall he was very humble. But she did agree with his statement; he was what kept her here. "That might have played a role as well."

"Thanks for picking up the plants for me," he said, changing the subject.

"No problem. Don't forget to pay me back though."

"Yeah, I'll work it out with dad on our way out."

Last year had been devastating for Carriedo Restaurante. Several weekly shipments of tomatoes had come in moldy and rotten. Antonio's father had to scramble to line up replacement shipments, costing the restaurant a hefty chunk of money and almost costing them several customers. So rather than having to rely on anyone else for tomatoes again, Antonio suggested that they grow their own on the roof of the restaurant, and put the space to good use.

Antonio's father was so enchanted with the idea, that he agreed right away, and then promptly delegated the task to Antonio. Knowing he would never be able to do it all by himself, he got Faith and a few others employees at the restaurant to help. They started the project a couple weeks ago, when they built a greenhouse so that they would grow through the winter and then planted the first crop. Today the two were headed there to plant the second half of the tomatoes by themselves, as everyone else was either otherwise occupied or got scheduled to work at the restaurant.

Upon their arrival at the restaurant, Antonio led the way through the back of the restaurant and up the steps in the back to the roof. Faith had to get behind and push the wagon up the steps while Antonio pulled, and after a great struggle, they were able to get it to the roof. The two pulled out their gardening tools from the shed and walked over to inspect their previous work. Antonio was fairly jumping up and down as he looked at the tomatoes. While he stopped short at cooing at each individual one for how much it had grown, the smile on his face said it all. Faith sighed at his antics, but couldn't stop the wry smile creeping up on her face.

"I love you, you know that right?"

"Te amo también querida," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead, his hand wrapping around her arm, holding her tight. Even as he pulled away, his hand trailed down her bare arm, and despite the warm spring air, Faith could feel goosebumps rising up on her skin as his and her fingers interlocked. They looked at each other for a moment, quiet smiles on their faces while a soft breeze blew through

"Aww, you guys are so cute, I should take a picture" a voice came from out of no where. Around the corner came Laura and her brother Tim. Antonio and Faith blushed and resisted the urge to pull apart. They hadn't been together long, but they were both past the awkward stage of worry that any little thing could bring this crashing down around them. They were comfortable together, but Laura had the tendency to swoon over everything they did, making what would ordinarily be a casually sweet moment seem like the greatest thing that has ever happened.

"Hey Laura, Tim." Tim grunted in acknowledgement, while Laura gave a not-so-mysterious half smile.

"Well then Antonio, your dad said it was slow downstairs, so he wanted us to come up to help until the dinner rush. So what do you want us to do boss?" Antonio recovered from his flustered state and began to direct them to begin preparing the raised beds for the tomatoes by softening the dirt and digging holes. As the hours passed, the four began to make progress, and by the time the sun was setting and the siblings had returned back downstairs, all the tomatoes were planted in the ground.

Stretching from where she was kneeling on the ground, Fatih gave a yawn.

"Hey, do you think we are done? I'm exhausted and I can't really see anything anymore." Antonio jumped up and walked over to her side, offering a hand to help her up. He pulled so hard that Faith jumped up from the ground. Smiling as he placed his arm around her back, Faith leaned her head on his shoulder and the pair surveyed their hard work.

"We did it." He said with pride. "We have planted tomatoes." Just then the first stars of the night came out, twinkling down on the pair. Faith took them in along with the tomatoes and sighed at this perfect picture of their creation. She leaned up and kissed Antonio on the jaw.

"Yes we have sweetheart. Yes we have."

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**A/N: Hey guys. So here is chapter three. I tried to add some more fluff and I fixed some errors from what was on my previous chapters. I haven't heard anything from you guys about it, so I was kinda hoping someone could review and give me some feedback. Am I not incorporating the words enough? Too little fluff? Too much? Please tell me something, even a favorite or a follow would mean a lot. Even if you don't like it, tell me what I'm doing wrong. I hope I didn't scare you guys off with the first chapter, I just was outlining what this was going to look like and it might have come across a little harsh.**

**Here is our first glimpse of other characters. For sure the Italian Brothers and the rest of the BTT will appear in the rest of the story, but I'm going to include other characters as well, I just haven't decided who, and plus I can't spoil the rest of the story!**

**Te Amo Amigos de Internet!**


	4. A Gift for You

El Anillo: The Ring

La Puerta: The Door

Azul: Blue

* * *

Antonio and Faith weaved their way through the other shoppers in the outdoor market, both burdened with shopping bags of various sizes and weights. With their respective food supplies running low, and their wedding less than a month away, they had decided to head out on a joint shopping venture with Antonio promising to treat Faith to lunch after they were all done.

The two had almost finished getting everything on their lists when Antonio spotted a bargain jewelry store behind the grocer's stand.

"Can we go in here? I need to check and see if they have any gold hoops."

"Yeah sure." The two crossed several people before reaching the door of their destination. Right away Antonio walked over to the back of the store where the earrings were while Faith wandered around the store.

The story behind Antonio's ear piercings was rather bittersweet. His best friend from high school was a kid from England named Arthur Kirkland. The guy was a bit of a punk and always made sure to include a less-than-innocent Antonio into his schemes. Winter of their last year of school, the two decided to get their ears pierced. Arthur got a purple cartilage ring that hurt like the devil while Antonio got a square diamond stud. While they got more than enough questioning stares and disapproval from both their parents, the two liked them so much that they returned to that store after graduation and Antonio got his other lobe pierced while Arthur got a tongue ring. Unfortunately, it was the last thing the two did together. Arthur's parents promptly grounded him, despite his age, and then they moved back to England before the two could hang out again. Last he had heard, Arthur was pursuing his career as a musician while Antonio stayed behind to work in his father's place and take cooking classes. But even as their friendship died, those piercings became its legacy.

Nowadays, Antonio tries not to wear any noticeable earrings too often, as his parents still do not like to see them. He always has small black studs in though, to keep the holes from closing up. But he would wear his more fancier pairs sometimes for date night with Faith, and he wanted to find a pair to wear at the wedding, with or without parental approval. For Faith's part, she did have to say, he looked like a dashing pirate every time he wore them.

Faith turned her attention to a display of rings, her weakness. While some girls couldn't walk out of a store without buying shoes or clothes, for Faith, she couldn't leave without buying a ring. A salesperson had left the door open for the glass box that contained them, allowing for shoppers to reach in and to try on rings. She scanned the rows, looking for one to catch her eyes. There it was, all the way in the back corner, was the one.

It was beautiful. The huge black rose petals reflected the store lights shining down on it, creating patches of green and blue on the otherwise solid dark charcoal. Underneath the petals were three golden leaves, the same color as the band, with little diamond-like stones along the edges of each leaf. It only cost 2.65 euros; it was nothing more than a cheap bauble. But yet it was one of the most beautiful rings she had ever laid eyes on. (The spot for the most beautiful would have to go to her engagement and wedding rings-and they were truly beautiful.)

She had spent the remainder of her extra money already though, on something she really didn't need. It was a bright blue, floor-length, one-shoulder dress, so blue it was sapphire, and the gown gave a slight shimmer when she walked. It wasn't like she meant to go dress shopping; they had passed by it, placed practically outside the front door of the shop to lure in window shoppers like herself, and she had to try it on.

* * *

When Faith walked out of the dressing room, the look on her fiance's face as he looked up from his phone said it all. Mixed emotions of awe and a hunger played out across his lightly tanned face. His green eyes darkened and a barely concealed smirk worked its way up onto his face.

It was that look in his eyes that sealed the deal for Faith. It turned her insides into jelly. Not from fear, but from excitement. She knew Antonio loved her, that was no question. She tried her best to not repeatedly ask for any validation of his love, because the evidence was all around her. There was no point in getting worried over something that obviously wasn't a problem. But that look from her fiance conveyed that he wanted her. That she was desired. And she didn't want to let go of that feeling.

"How do I look?"

"Very sexy." She squirmed slightly in the dress, a blush beginning to cover her cheeks.

"Ok. I'm gonna go change now. I'll meet you outside."

"Ok," he replied, standing up and giving her a kiss on the lips.

* * *

Faith gave a small smile. That moment makes it worth it that she couldn't buy the ring. She placed the ring on her long fingers, checking to see if it would look alright on them. She toyed with it for a while before finally putting it down again with a long sigh and a twist of the lips in goodbye.

"Antonio, you almost done?" she called to him

"A few more minutes."

"Ok. I'm gonna wait outside at the bench."

"Ok, meet you out there." Faith headed out of the door, saying goodbye to the cashier as she went out. She waited at the park bench for longer than she expected, but was finally greeted with the sight of her fiance.

"What took you so long?"

"I had a hard time picking out what I wanted," Antonio mumbled, feeling the bag grow heavy in his hand. He was never good at lying, or even omitting facts.

"Ok then. Let's go get something to eat!" Antonio exhaled with relief through his smile as he and his fiance walked hand in hand, while the box of earrings rubbed against one of a black rose ring.

* * *

**A/N: Hello Everyone! **

**Here is some Valentines-ish fluff. Ok, maybe it's not valentines, but it's still fluffy! I hope you guys liked it. Please let me know your thoughts. Also send me three words! It's getting hard to generate these myself!**

**Hey, I'm thinking about doing this with more countries, so I'm going to post a poll on my profile. Vote which country you want to see in the a three words story!**

**Te Amo Amigos de Internet**


	5. Taking Care of You

el sueño-the dream

capaz-capable

olvidar-to forget

* * *

Antonio was awakened from his dreams by the sound of his phone blaring. His ringtone, which was selected out of spite by his cousin Romano, was a song created for the sole purpose of being obnoxious. He had kept it because he thought it was kinda funny, and whenever it played it always made little Roma' smile a little bit. Plus he was too lazy to figure out how to change it back himself.

Now, however, it was not appreciated.

Wincing not just at the obnoxious noise, but at the sour taste in his mouth and the sandpaper state of the back of this throat, Antonio rubbed his eyes open. The headache from before was gone, but otherwise there was no improvement to his condition. With a small groan, he looked at the caller id his phone. The bright lights displayed his girlfriends name. Answering the phone, he laid back into the bed.

"Hey querida," he croaked out.

"Hey, Antonio. Um...the uh movie has already started. Are you still coming or did something come up?" Antonio could feel his stomach sink as he realized what he had done. He rolled over to look at his clock. It was 19:38 (7:38 pm), twenty-eight minutes after he had promised to be there. It wasn't like him to forget something like that; but after his dad had sent him home early from work, he wasn't really in the mindset to remember any dates.

"Sorry, I haven't been feeling good. I think I'm coming down with something."

"Oh, no problem." He could hear the relief in her voice at his explanation and he felt guilty that he had stood her up. "Hey, I'll come over and make you some dinner ok?"

"I don't want you to get sick," He said, punctuating the end of his sentence with a coughing fit. She waited until he was done before responding.

"It's fine, I've already had my flu shot and everything." He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"It might not be the flu. And I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"And I am not doubting that. Your sick Antonio. Let me help. I've already been exposed to whatever you have; we've had the same shift at the restarant for the past several days." Antonio sighed again. It didn't sit well with him to be helpless. Faith kept talking though, sensing he had no more arguments. "Alright, I'm headed over, I'll see you in a few," and with that she hung up. Antonio placed the phone down on the ground and sunk into the couch pillow. His throat had gotten worse and he took a minute to give into his feelings of misery. Antonio wasn't one to get sick very often, and he hated it with every fiber in his being.

"Five minutes," he sternly told himself as he closed his eyes. But who was he really kidding, he couldn't help think before he returned to dreamland, he was going to be asleep for longer than that.

Sure enough, it wasn't until a click of the keys at the door, signalling that Faith had finally arrived at the flat, when he finally awoke again. She quickly took off her coat and stuck it over the back of one of his chairs and walked over to the blanketed Antonio, kneeling down in front of his face.

"Hey hun, I'm here. Is there anything you need?" she said, as she pushed back his hair from his face.

"Ugh. Hi Faith. I'm good." Antonio tried to say around the frog in his throat, leaning his warm face into her cool hands.

"Ok, I'm going to go heat up the water for some tea, and then I'll reheat the soup."

"What kind?" Internally he winced at how weak he sounded. Faith, though, smiled at his question.

"Your favorite silly. The garlic and onion one, and before you ask, yes I got the toast separately so it's not soggy. But while those things are heating up, we should take your temperature." Faith went to the kitchen to set up the food and then headed to the bathroom to get the thermometer and returned. Antonio tried to take the thermometer from her, but she held it away from him.

"C'mon Faith."

"Antonio, I know you can do all of this by yourself. But I'm here to take care of you. So just let me do my job and open your mouth," she said sternly. Without another word, Antonio opened his mouth.

It wasn't like he wasn't used to being taken care of. He had never forgotten all the times his mother stayed home from the restaurant to be with him when he was sick as a child. It was just, for too long, Antonio had been the one that everyone would turn to when they were hurting. He always worked to be the happy one, to not have any problems so that no one would really have to worry about him too much.

Antonio isn't really mushy about it. It's just the way things are; it's a part of his personality. But still, he can't stop a smile working its way onto his face. It's been a while since he's met a person who could just brush aside his protests so easily. The last people to do that were his college buddies, who tended to just brush his arguments off with a shove to the couch and then they would proceed to kill him at whatever video game they were obsessed with at the time. "No pity for the weak," Gil would often say, while elbowing him in the ribs, laughing loudly.

That was just how things were. And that was ok.

The thermometer beeped, and Faith took it out of his mouth. Her forehead wrinkled a little bit as she read the numbers. "37.7. Not really high, but still, you have a fever." She hopped up, bustling around. Antonio, with nothing to do, began contemplating the state of his ceiling for a while (he really did need to dust: there were so many cobwebs at the corners, his flat was practically spider heaven) until Faith returned, burdened with a full tray. "Hey Antonio, it's ready." Faith helped him sit up and handed him a bowl of the steaming soup, with the glorious cheese toast floating on top. He looked at her with a small smirk. "What?"

"You were so insistent on me not doing anything, I'm surprised you're not feeding me."

"You're on your own there mister. A girl can only do so much." Settling into the edge of the sofa, she dug into her soup along with him.

By the time he had finished the bowl of soup, Antonio was beginning to feel a little bit more like himself and the fire in the back of his throat was calming down. Faith put the bowls up and cleaned up the kitchen. Upon her return, Antonio held out his arms.

"Stay for a little bit longer?" Faith looked at the clock and chewed on her bottom lip.

"Just for a little bit." The two snuggled together, with Antonio's head in Faith's lap. Carefully, Faith combed her fingers through his dark auburn locks. The two talked for a while about their day and other things going on. But when Antonio could no longer hold his eyes open, Faith carefully eased herself out from underneath his head and went to grab some blankets off of his bed, filling a glass with water for him on the way back. After covering Antonio in yet another blanket, she placed the glass of water within his reach on the floor and kissed his forehead.

"Sleep is good when you are sick. Sweet dreams hun." And with a small smile, Antonio plunged into dreamland.

* * *

**A/N: First of all, I want to give a shout out to Nosuri for the follow and the favorite ;) You are awesome! I was getting seriously discouraged on this fic, because no one had said anything about it. I'm feeling a little bit better now.**

**Incase you were wondering, the soup I was referring to is a regional Spanish soup called Sopa Tostada de Castilla-La Mancha. It's like a broth soup with onions and grilled cheese on top. **

**I still have the poll up on my profile. If you guys like this story and want to see more with other characters drop by my profile and vote!**

**This chapter took a while for me to like; I was going to scrap it at first and write a different onethen I got a late-night inspiration and I decided to keep going with it. It turned out better than I thought it was going to. **

**Good news: Next chapter will give some more background on Faith. I won't tell you much more because I don't want to spoil it.**

**Te Amo Amigos de Internet!**


	6. The First Time Kissing You

la nube-cloud

la perspectiva-perspective

inventar-to invent

* * *

It was 10:30 pm and the restaurant was in full swing. It was tapas time, and a lot of people were gathered together in groups with plates of the various fancy snacks before them, talking and laughing. Antonio was in his element, going for table to table, checking up on customers, giving the waitstaff tips, and checking in on the cooks. His father had left early and the restaurant was his ship to command, and for once it was going smoothly.

He finished tasting some of the food from the back and headed back out to the dining room to see if any new patrons had come in. Scanning the expansive room, he saw a girl at a table by herself that was not there before. She looked blankly out into the restaurant, hands in her lap, probably waiting for her food. He headed over there, confidence in his stride.

"Hello, I'm Antonio, how are you doing today miss...?" He held out a hand to her.

"Faith. I'm doing alright thanks." She shook hands with him, her hand cool to his warm ones. For some reason, her name sounded familiar.

"That's not a name you hear often in these parts. Are you from England, Faith?"

"No, I was born in the United States, but mom married a Spanish man, so I have lived here most of my life," she explained

"Well Faith, welcome to Carriedo Restaurante. Has someone taken your order? Is there anything I can get for you?" He paused for breath, realizing that he probably just overwhelmed her.

"Someone's taken my order, thanks. Can I just get a glass of water?"

"Certainly, no problem. Are you waiting for anyone, I can get them some water as well?" She glanced at her phone and she lost her smile.

"No, it's just me." Antonio felt a little bad for making her feel sad and gave her a big smile.

"Well, I'll be right back with your water." Walking away, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was familiar, that girl at table five. He knew her from somewhere, but for the life of him he could not remember where.

He could sit with her; maybe he would remember who she was then. It looked like she was going to meet someone but they didn't show. He checked on everyone briefly as he poured her water. Everything was going fine. And if anything bad happened someone would come and get him right? He could always leave her then.

Odds are though she wouldn't even want him to sit with her; they were perfect strangers after all. But still, there was that gut feeling to just go talk to her. At the very worst, if she said no, he could always go hide in the back until she left and laugh it off.

"Order up for table five!"

Before he could stop himself, Antonio found himself speaking, "I'll take it out." He grabbed the hot plate right out of the chefs hand and walked out of the kitchen, ignoring the looks the staff was giving him. Steeling himself, he walked back to the table.

"Here is your water," he placed it down on the coaster in front of her, "and here is your meal."

"Oh, thank you so much!" She smiled at him, a real genuine smile rather than the typical polite one he often saw on other patrons.

Well, it's now or never.

"Would you mind if I join you? It's more fun to eat with someone than to eat alone." Antonio searched her face and waited with bated breath. She gave another smile, with relief mixed in this time.

"Yeah, you can join me." Antonio exhaled, a matching smile working its way onto his face.

"Ok, I'll be right back, let me get my plate." All the restaurant workers had daily meals made for them that they could eat if they ever got hungry during their breaks. Antonio had been saving his for when things had died down at the restaurant, but it had been a busy day and he hadn't had a chance to eat his dinner yet.

Upon his return, he carefully slid into the seat next to her and searched for a topic that would beat back the awkwardness. To his relief, she spoke first.

"You look so familiar, you remind me of someone I met once, but I can't remember who it was."

"You know, I was thinking the same thing about you."

"It's probably just dejavu or something."

"Probably." They stopped talking for a minute and started to eat. Antonio scooped up some paella; usually he wouldn't eat such a heavy meal right before bed, but hey, you take what you can get. "So I'm guessing you work here."

"Yeah, my dad is in charge of the restaurant; I'm training under him to take over it when he retires."

"Father-son business huh? Not very common nowadays."

"Yeah, I've raised a couple of eyebrows. How about you?"

"I'm kinda in-between things. I'm staying with a friend, but if I can't get a job here I'm going to work as an au pair in Germany." Then as a joking afterthought, she asked with a laugh, "Are you guys hiring?"

"I might be able to invent up a position that we need. We could always use more waitresses,"

"Well then, invent away Antonio." There it was, that contagious smile of hers. Antonio was beginning to find out that he was looking for more ways to bring that smile to her face. And when she said his name, he had never felt so happy to hear someone say it.

The two kept talking until all of the patrons had left and it was past closing time. A lot of the wait staff and cooks had left too, and only those in charge of cleanup for the day were left. Faith looked out the window into the darkness and then turned back to Antonio.

"Hey, do you happen to know when the bus is coming?"

"The last one leaves around 11:30." She glanced down at her phone.

"Dang it, I didn't realize it had gotten so late, it's already almost 12:30." She looked worriedly out into the cloudy night. He smiled, remembering something from a year ago where he ran into someone at a bus stop.

That's when he realized why she looked so familiar.

"Wait, you're that girl from the bus stop!" Her eyes widened as she recognized him as well.

"Yep that's me! You're the guy with the soap in his hair!" Now that he knew who she was, Antonio remembered the feeling he had when he had walked away from her that day. It was like what he was feeling now, only now it had increased even more as he had got to know her.

It hit him, like lightning, that he did not want her to walk out of his life again like she did that day.

"How close do you live to here?"

"It's a good walk, but I can manage. It's just late, and I just moved to the city..." she trailed off, embarrassed. Antonio could sense that she was nervous to walk by herself.

"If you don't mind waiting until we finish closing up, I can walk you home."

"You don't have to go out of your way for me."

"I live a couple blocks down from the restaurant. I could use the walk anyway."

"Are you sure? I'm sure I'll be fine."

"C'mon, I'm walking you home."

"Thank you," she said in relief. Antonio too sighed in relief. Perspectives have changed on being a gentleman. The last time he offered to walk a girl home, he got yelled at and was called a pedophile. Of course, the girl didn't know the meaning of the word pedophile when she called him that, because if he was being a pedophile she would have to be at most eleven years old, but it still stung.

"I'll help clean up," she offered. The two got up from the table and worked together to clean off the remaining tables. When they were done, Tim, on cleanup duty, called out from the back, "Hey, the last of us are leaving. We are done back here."

"Ok Tim, you guys are good to go. We'll lock up.

"New employee? Really Antonio, we aren't desperate enough to be asking customers to clean up for us."

"I'm walking her home."

"Whatever you say boss. Just don't get lost."

The two headed out into the night when they had finished at the restaurant, still talking. While they walked, Faith kept accidentally brushing the back of her hand against Antonio's, as if she kept grabbing for it but then restrained herself. Finally she shoved her hand into her pocket. Antonio, realizing what was going on, reached into her pocket and grabbed her hand. She looked up at him with a small smile, and some unidentifiable emotion shining in her eyes. They continued down the street until they reached her flat building.

"Well, this is it."

"Well Faith, it was nice to meet you again."

"It was nice to see you again too Antonio." Whipping out his phone, Antonio made a new contact.

"Can I have your number so we can get in touch again?"

"Yeah, sure." She quickly gave him the numbers, yawning when it was all done. "I'd better go in and go to bed."

"Ok." Antonio leaned down to give her a small kiss on her cheek, not quite sure if it was the right move, but knowing at the same time that this was what he wanted. At the same time he leaned down though, she turned her face towards to him and he kissed her on the lips. Faith pulled back, a little startled, and then smiled.

"Thanks Antonio." And with that she was gone.

On his way home, Antonio pulled out his phone and texted a simple "Goodnight" to her.

And felt his heart flip in his chest when she replied back in kind.

* * *

**A/N: This is my longest chapter ever at over 1600 words! Please Review, I've been working really hard on this story and would really appreciate the feedback.**

**Te amo mis amigos de Internet!**


	7. Our Family and You

Thanks to Rani-Girl, who suggested the following three words:

the argument-la discusión

the rain-la lluvia

the cat-el gato

* * *

"Mama, can we get a cat please? Mr. Karpusi said that Helen just had some kittens and we could have one if we wanted." Looking away from her daughter Sofia, Faith sighed and raised her eyes to the heavens. Their next-door neighbor was going to be the death of her. Bordering on cat hoarder, Mr. Karpusi had been trying to give away his new litter of kittens to his neighbors so he could keep them close to him without getting into trouble with the law. She was lucky though, Sofia, her baby girl, still hadn't caught on to the fact that she was not the one to ask about kittens. Rather, her father, Antonio, who is wrapped around the fingers of both his girls, would most certainly give into her demands if she asked him.

"No sweetie, we can't," she said while folding up a pair of Antonio's jeans, adding it to his pile of clothes.

"Why?" Sofia questioned, her favorite one too. Faith picked up the last piece of clothing, a purple skirt that Sofia got for her birthday last year, and stuck it on a hanger, trying to figure out how to answer her daughter. It wasn't as if she hated cats, but they were kittens-and kittens take up an endless amount of time and energy. And Faith knew that she would be the one in their household expelling all that energy over the kitten, rather than the one who actually wanted it.

"We already have a pet Sofia; we have two turtles. Remember? Adelita and Nenita?"

Sometimes she didn't know how Antonio does it sometimes, with not only all girl humans, but two girl turtles to top it off!

No look of recognition dawned in Sofia's eyes at the names of their two turtles, but Faith lets it go when no more questions follow. She left the piles of folded clothes in the living room to take back to the bedrooms tomorrow, and moved on to the kitchen to check on the oldest, Esperanza, with Sofia trailing behind her talking to her doll, Antonia. Faith glanced at Esperanza's finished spelling worksheet off to the side, and picked it up to check it over. Not bad, just a couple of mistakes. She smiled and placed a star next to them for her to correct.

As per usual, after Esperanza finished her homework, the family would head to the restaurant so that the girls could see Antonio. Because of the late hours he had to work and the girls being at school all morning, he wouldn't get to see them during the day. And now that Faith was back in the work force as a preschool teacher, she missed spending that time with him as well. So they all worked this out so they could still see each other on a regular basis rather than just on weekends.

"Good job Esperanza. When you are done with that worksheet and correct your spelling mistakes we can go." She headed to the kitchen to get the bag of papers that need to be cut by Friday; figuring she could get started on that while at the restaurant. Looking at the clock, Faith saw that it was 19:38 (7:38 pm); plenty of time until they would have to bring the girls back home to go to bed. She headed to the refrigerator to get a snack for Antonio; he had texted her a couple hours ago telling her he had forgotten to bring one for the day. When she turned around, Sofia had her arms held out to her mother pleadingly. She's five years old and much too old for this, but Faith gave a sigh and reached down to pick her up. She placed her purse in the bigger bag, and headed back to the kitchen table to find that Esperanza was already done and had grabbed their bags of coloring books and movies.

"Are we ready?" She nodded. Faith pushed back Esperanza's chocolaty bangs, courtesy of Antonio, and handed her the key to the house.

"Do you want to do the honors?" She smiled at Faith and headed to the door, starting to talk about how one of the kids in her class has an older brother who has his own key to unlock the house. The trio headed to the car, Sofia occasionally interrupting about her best friend Teresa, who also has an older brother, but, of course, he doesn't have his very own key to open the door. Smiling wryly as the two interrupt each other, Faith took back the keys to unlock the car. But when Sofia attempted to kick Esperanza in the face from her perch, she quickly started walking to the other side of the car to prevent the kick from connecting. Buckling in Sofia, she looked at the two very seriously.

"If there are any fights or arguments in this car, I will turn around and we will go back home. Do you guys understand?" Suddenly, a drop of water hit her back. Faith pressed her lips together. It would probably be raining by the time they got there.

"Yes mama," they answered, heads downcast.

"Look at me girls," they slowly looked up. Their pouting faces were so comical that Faith struggled for a minute to keep a straight face. Regaining her composure, she looked into both their eyes. "Say it again please."

"Yes mama."

"Good," she said, getting out from the side and shutting the passenger door. Faith climbed into the driver's side of the car and pulled away from the house, praying they do not break out into a argument, not really wanting to have to drive back home. Faith was fine with her new job as a teacher, and the extra income was really appreciated after the last five years of staying at home. But it had taken away some of the time she would spend with Antonio in the morning before he went into work, and she just missed him so much.

Making a turn, Faith checked in the rear view mirror on the girls. Sofia hadn't stopped talking since they got in, but she couldn't tell if it was to her or to Antonia. For the most part though, replies weren't necessary, so she just let Sofia keep talking. Esperanza quietly stared out the window. She had always been the quieter one, but Faith was slightly concerned, and made a note to check on her.

Popping on the radio to Esperanza's favorite station, Faith started to sing along in a silly voice to the words, glancing up at Esperanza in the rear view mirror occasionally. Esperanza looked at her strangely for a minute before finally saying something.

"Mama, you are so weird," she said, as she shook her head at Faith.

"I do try dear," Faith said with a smile, and it grew even bigger as she watched a matching one fight it's way onto Esperanza's face.

"I don't think mama's weird," Sofia cut in, and as quick as it appeared, Esperanza's smile disappeared. Faith tried to squish her annoyance at her youngest as she turned the radio down.

They finally park, and Faith helped Sofia unbuckle her seat. Sure enough, as predicted, it was pouring down rain. Grabbing both of her daughter's hands, Faith herded them both into the restaurant, not even trying to pull out the umbrella, knowing it was not going to be worth the effort. When they reached the entrance, they were greeted by a familiar figure at the host both.

"Romano!" Sofia squealed, as she went running to him, hugging his pant leg. He patted her head awkwardly and his face started to turn pink. Esperanza waved at him while staying beside Faith, who couldn't stop a big smile creeping onto her face.

"Romano, look at you! I see Antonio put you as host!" The kid flushed even more in embarrassment and pride. He was staying with the Carriedo family for the year before he went back to school. While he was known to argue to authority figures, especially Antonio, it was obvious that the two cousins had a soft spot for each other.

"Yeah yeah, he just shoved me up here 'Romano, run the host desk,' he begged, 'José didn't show.' And he just had to put on those puppy eyes." The teen rolled his eyes, "So here I am." Sofia and Esperanza had already moved on and had run out into the restaurant to their father, who was talking to a patron.

"Trust me Romano, that's how he's always gotten his way. Those puppy dog eyes will be the death of us all." Romano gave a wry smile at that and waved her on. Faith stayed at the main entry way though, watching her husband. Antonio had extracted himself from talking to the customers and was now holding onto both of his daughter's hands while listening to them talk over each other and walking towards her. His beaming smile made Faith feel happy as well; his love for his daughters was obvious on his face. She started to walk over to them and the four reunited in the middle of the restaurant. Antonio and Faith kissed each other, and she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck while his stay holding the girl's hands.

"Hey beautiful," he breathed as they separated.

"Hello handsome," she replied with a smile. He picked up Sofia and grabbed Esperanza's hand with the same arm, allowing for his other hand to wrap around Faith's waist. They headed to the office to drop off our stuff. Antonio's office was dominated by a card table and a couch for the girls to sit on while they watched a movie. Some nights though, they helped Antonio in the restaurant by either going with him while he talks to customers or helping bring out plates of food, and if a staff member was out sick, Faith would step in during the night rush to help.

Today was a good day for the restaurant. It had a decent amount of patrons for a such an early hour, but not to many so the staff wouldn't be stressed out before the dinner rush. Faith sat in an empty booth instead of back in the office, and worked on the letters she needed to cut. Sofia shadowed Romano for a while, and then when she got bored of it, she walked around to different patrons, talking to them and making new friends. Everyone was of course introduced to Antonia, and learned how Antonia was a ballerina who loved to draw pictures for her mama. Eventually Faith had to separate her from one young couple, whom Sofia had taken up too much of their time. She settled Sofia down in the booth alongside her and had her work on some coloring. Esperanza stayed with her father, and soon her bad mood from earlier lifted as over and over Antonio found ways to make her laugh. Whether they were in the kitchen, conspiring in the office, or talking to patrons, Faith could hear both of their distinct laughter.

Suddenly, Antonio and Esperanza burst out from the kitchen, dancing wildly to the dramatic tango background music playing in the restaurant. After a little bit, he walked over and plucked Sofia out of her seat with Faith and the three began dancing in a circle. Someone in the back turned up the music, and soon other staff members were rushing out to dance as well. Even Romano left his host booth, although he stood off to the side and refused to join the dance. Patrons began clapping their hands along, and few of the more daring ones got up and joined the dancers.

Antonio let go of Sofia's hand for a second. "Come dance with us!" he called out to his wife. Faith got up and weaved her way through the dancers and was soon spinning in a circle and laughing with her family. The girls and Antonio all wore matching smiles, as they spun around. As the music came to an end, Antonio spun and dipped each of his girls, first Sofia, then Esperanza, and finally Faith.

And as the room dissolved into thunderous applause, all Faith could think, was how she had the best family in the entire world.

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**A/N: I would like to thank Rani-Girl and DevilSurvivor for following/favoriting this story, and I would like to thank Rani-Girl for reviewing. Your review really encouraged me, and I understand where you are coming from. I tend to avoid OC stories myself, and your advice put things into perspective for me. I did try to work on expanding the character's perspective in this chapter; it is the longest one I have to date. I will definitely work on fleshing out Faith and the other characters some more. As you have said in your review, I do tend to leave some things unsaid. Apart of it is my more direct writing style. I do struggle with the details sometimes because I get bored. I am working to improve things though!**

**Just in general, if anyone has noticed, I am avoiding describing Faith's personal appearance. Why? I know that as a reader I often paint a completely different picture of a character than what the author gives to me. Also, by not giving her a standard appearance, Faith becomes yours in a way. She can have any weight, skin tone, eye color, height, whatever floats your boat. Plus it doesn't really matter what she looks like. I think I might retain the rights to control her hair length/style, but who knows, I might not mention her hair at all.**

**Yes I did use military time, I read somewhere that in Europe they use military time; and the story takes place in Spain. **

**I still have a poll up on my profile for what Hetalia Character should I do for future three words stories. In the lead are the two Italy brothers with one vote apiece. The other choices are the Netherlands, France, and Sweden. if you like any of those 5 and this story, go vote on my profile page so that I will write about them. Also I am still open for word suggestions. **

**Sorry this chapter is late, I've been really busy at school all week. I was working on it yesterday, and then today as I read it over, I realized i changed tense and perspective mid chapter! So I had to go back and fix that. Let me know if you catch anything so I can change it.**

**Te amo mis amigos de Internet!**


	8. Me, My Friends, and You

transcurrir-to pass time

el experimento-experiment;

aguantar-to bear

* * *

Antonio stopped staring out the window as they neared Paris to check on Faith, who was leaning on his shoulder and listening to music to pass the time. They were taking the train to Paris so that they could meet up with his best friends, Gilbert and Francis. It had been a long ride; they had left at the break of dawn, but were not scheduled to arrive until later in the evening.

"Hey. You ok?" he asked softly. She shifted slightly in order to look up at him.

"Yep." She reached up and poked him the cheek. "How close are we?"

"Almost there." She sighed in response and burrowed further into his shoulder, inhaling deeply. Antonio looked back at the window, thinking she had decided to get some more rest before facing the craziness that would ensue. Antonio kept staring out the window until the countryside turned to a more city-like atmosphere. They had arrived in Paris.

Antonio had met his two best friends when he spent a year abroad in Germany while he was in culinary school. It was funny how it had worked out; technically he was supposed to go to France, but he didn't sign up fast enough, and so he was stuck going to Germany. His roommates for that year were Francis, who was also spending a year abroad, and Gilbert, who was a native to Germany. Even though their interests were completely different they quickly became the best of friends; Francis, who was majoring in economics, really didn't even have to go to school-his family are famous fashion designers and he inherited most of their wealth-and was mainly there for the ladies, while Gilbert was studying music while he started up his guitar store, and of course Antonio was planning to take over his father's restaurant. They all shared a love of pranks and terrorized the campus that year. And they did gain a reputation for being the heart-breakers of the campus as well, although Francis was the only one who had a girlfriend for just about the whole year.

In short, that year made them inseparable, and they remained in touch over the years, spending a significant amount of their holidays crossing the continent to see each other. And while they had all calmed down over the years, they still wreaked havoc at whatever bar they were at and have encountered the police in each of their countries, although, thankfully no arrests yet. Over the past few years they had been through a lot. Francis and Gilbert often butted heads, and Antonio was often caught in between them. That was always the worst. For him to choose which side to take in an argument, even if one was clearly right, was impossible. It was like choosing between two parents. But they always managed to work through it; no matter what had happened thus far, they really couldn't bear not talking to each other for longer than a month.

The two disembarked from the train, grabbing their luggage from the overhead compartment, and weaved their way through the crowd to the front, hand in hand.

"So are you ready for Paris?" Antonio asked as they neared the exit. The two had basked in the quiet peace for so long that talking felt almost weird.

"I think I am ready for Paris. I just don't know if Paris is ready for this reunion." Antonio laughed at this; she knew them all so well. Even though Faith wasn't apart of the original three, when Antonio first introduced her to the others, she soon became apart of the group. For her, Francis and Gilbert were like the older brothers she never had, and that made the guys happy in return.

They caught a cab to Francis's flat; the address Antonio by now knew by heart. When they arrived at the door and knocked, there was no answer. Antonio sighed and fished out his keys. One of his keys was blue, another black, and a third red. The red one was his apartment key, while the black key was the key to the house Gilbert shared with his little brother, and the blue one was the one to Francis's row house. He selected the blue key and opened up the door to Francis's house.

"Oh hey, Francis, welcome back," Gilbert called from the living room in French, with an unfortunate accent. Another benefit of living with each other for a year was that they picked up each other's languages to better communicate. While none of them are exactly fluent, they can get by pretty well. Usually they speak the language of whoever's country they are in; meaning that they have been speaking French more than any of their three languages because France is located in the middle. But still, they are known to occasionally switch languages mid conversation regardless of what country they are in, especially when they were making top-secret prank plans, to the frustration of those around them. "It's not Francis, it's Antonio and Faith," Antonio called back, slightly irritated, in German. The two dropped their bags off to the side and Gilbert poked his head around the corner.

"Oh hey, it is you guys. Francy-pants went to take something over to his girlfriend, but he promised he be back in an hour.¨ Gil gave the two a hug and stepped aside to let them in.

"Francis has a girlfriend? Is she new?" Faith asked in tentative German. Faith understood a lot of German, after all, she had planed on initially working there, and over time had improved her French, but nowadays the group sometimes tended to speak more in Spanish for her benefit.

"No, it's the same one. I think things are starting to get serious because he has talked about bringing her over to meet us," Gilbert said while heading back to the living room. "I was just kicking West's butt at this new game! Are you guys in? Although, Antonio, you might want to actually try this time."

"Sure," Antonio said jumping onto the couch. "You had better watch out, I'm going to kick your sorry self back to Germany." Turning Faith with pleading eyes, he silently begged her to play. She rolled her eyes and gracefully sat on the rocking chair.

"Hand me a controller."

After a couple rounds, with Antonio coming in last place, and surprise surprise, Ludwig coming in first, Francis returned with dinner, giving a hug to his old friend and a kiss on the cheek to Faith. The four of them headed up to the roof of Francis's place, where he had a greenhouse and some lawn furniture. They cracked open some beers and ate the Chinese food.

"Sorry it's not homemade; I figured you guys would want to eat right away so I just grabbed this on the way back," Francis said, trying to resist the smirk playing on the corners of his mouth.

"No problem. I haven't had Chinese food in a while," Faith replied, not understanding what was going on while the friends started laughing. "What?" she asked, looking in confusion at the three of them.

"Inside joke," Gilbert answered in between snorts. "It's not worth the explanation." Faith huffed and rolled her eyes, leaning up against Antonio, slightly pouting. Antonio smiled; Chinese was pretty much all they ate that year they lived together when they went out to eat because it was the only thing they all liked. Seeing Faith's disgruntled expression, he tried to contain his laughter and changed the direction of the conversation.

"So we have some news to announce to you guys," he said dramatically. Faith, sensing the direction this was going, brightened slightly. Gil and Francis exchanged looks in confusion. Antonio linked his left hand with Faith's right and set it on the table dramatically. Francis's eyes widened for a second as he processed what they were referring too, while Gilbert took longer to figure out what was going on. When he finally understood, his eyes widened.

"You guys are getting married!" he announced loudly. The pair smiled and laughed.

"Yeah, sometime next year," Faith replied.

"That's awesome," Gilbert said, pumping his fists dramatically.

"It's about time too." They all shared a chuckle over Francis's remark, and he got up and grabbed another round of beers for everyone. "A toast," he said, raising his freshly opened bottle. "To their marriage. Love each other like you never have before."

"Hear hear," Gilbert said as he chugged it down.

"Arriba, abajo, al centro y adentro," Faith and Antonio said together, while punctuating their words with raising their bottles up, then lowering them back down, meeting them in the middle, and finally taking a large swig.

"You guys are weird," Gil said, and the two just smiled.

The four spent the next several hours drinking, dancing, and goofing off in general. They even set off some sparklers to celebrate the impending wedding, and of course, broke open their fortune cookies to see what they were. As time went on, and they all began to wind down, it was 3 in the morning. Faith, who was a bit of a lightweight, had fallen asleep on Antonio in the love seat. Gilbert was laying down on the ledge at the edge of the roof; one push and he would fall over, while Francis was sitting sideways in one of the plush single seats. The three men were alone in their thoughts for a while before Gil broke the silence with a question that had been bothering him on and off for most of the night.

"Do you think that you are ready for forever?" Gilbert asked almost uncertainly, as he stared up at the stars. Antonio paused for a minute, continuing to comb his fingers through Faith's hair.

"I don't know if we can ever be ready for forever Gil," Antonio said softly. "I don't think I really understand what I'm getting myself into." The mood turned somber as his friends tried to figure out what to say to ease Antonio's doubts.

"Are you alright Antonio?" Francis asked, slipping into Spanish and asking so much more than was said. Faith stirred in her sleep and turned her face into Antonio's stomach, clutching him with her arms. Antonio smiled and looked up at his friends and then to the sky like Gilbert.

"Yeah, I'm fine guys. I think it's going to be ok; that this is right. I don't need to make a grand experiment and test out different women, in case I made a mistake in picking the wrong one. I didn't. I choose to spend the rest of my life with her. We will both have our bad days," he moves one of his hands down to stroke her arm. "But this is what I want; this is what I choose." While he couldn't see Gil's face, Francis had a small smile on his, and he sensed their approval.

"Hey guys, look, it's a shooting star!" Antonio and Francis looked up in the sky to see it, but frowned in confusion when they could not find it. Gilbert rolled off the ledge, thankfully onto the roof and not the ground below, laughing as he went. "Got you guys! Oh my gosh, you guys are such saps! What were you expecting!" Antonio rolled his eyes while Francis got up out of his seat and went over to Gilbert, smacking him on the back of the head.

"Idiot," he said.

The three men, plus Faith, stayed out there for the rest of the night, dozing and talking, until the sun rose in the horizon, beginning a new day together.

* * *

**A/N: Culture notes: In Spain, the _alianza_ (wedding ring) is worn on the ring finger of the right hand (so that is why Faith's engagement ring is on the right hand). Spanish weddings do not include bridesmaids or groomsmen. I was going to have Gilbert and Francis be asked to be groomsmen, but then I read the fact, and I had to delete that part. Tear. Also that line in Spanish is a traditional toast done in the Spanish speaking world. (Im not sure if it's in Spain though, but we are just going to let that part go)**

**If you guys want to know about Francis's girlfriend and who she is, vote in my poll. I'm trying to decide which character I am going to use for my second three words installment. This will be the only installment you can vote for, the others I have already picked. **

**Thanks again to Rani-Girl for your review! It made me smile :) Please as always everyone send your reviews and your three words requests, whether they be in English or Spanish. **

**As always: Te Amo Mis Amigos de Internet!**


	9. I'm there for You

agotar-to wear down

la mina-mine

aferrar-to grasp

* * *

Right now, Faith was fast asleep, cuddled up with her husband. The day had been a nice one for both of them; she and Antonio had worked until 22:00 (10:00 pm) the at the restaurant, and then Antonio's father sent them home. Taking advantage of the extra time they had, the two decided to have some "adult nap time" before of course, actually going to bed. Afterwards, they fell asleep snuggled together. However, for Faith, pleasant dreams gave way to something horrible, and now she was in the grips of a horrible nightmare.

_She was standing in their apartment, making dinner, trying to make sure that the food wouldn't burn. Every time she turned around, the burner would get hotter, and she had to constantly move the food around to prevent char marks from forming. She was afraid of what would happen if the food would burn, so she worked hard over the pot. She turned away for a second, why, she wasn't really sure, but when she returned, the food was burned. Suddenly, Antonio was looming over her, his usual cheerful face angry and harsh. He looked like a mine ready to explode. _

_And he did, backhanding her so hard that Faith could feel her head snap back. _

"_Antonio," she said in a shocked whisper, her hand on her sore cheek. He ignored her though, making it somehow more terrifying, and continued to hit her, moving from slaps to punches. After a little bit he seemed to get bored of just using his bare hands and then decided to pick up a stick-from where she didn't know-but he then began to use that as well. And all she could do was to throw up her hands to block the hits to her face and cry. _

Faith woke up with a start, feeling the cold fear sink in her heart. Tears streaked down her face from the leftover panic and fear, creating lines on her face. She could feel Antonio's arm around her waist. While his grip was loose as usual, it felt like a trap, and she panicked slightly.

"It's just a dream," she breathed before carefully extracting herself from his grip, grabbing a bathrobe to wrap around herself. She padded quietly to the kitchen to grab a glass of water in order to wash the bad taste out of the back of her mouth. When she finished, she placed her cup in the sink and headed back to the bedroom, still on edge.

She stood just inside the door and studied him in the dark. This was Antonio, the most lovable and sweetest man on earth. But the shadows of her dream remained in her mind. He could beat her if chose; he was strong enough, and she knew that she would be helpless to prevent it. It wasn't abnormal for husbands to beat their wives, after all, it had been going on since the beginning of time. What's to stop him from doing it? Society? There are plenty of ways to hide bruises so that people could not find them. Plus the courts could always be manipulated.

Faith shook her head, trying to dispel the irrational thoughts. But every thought was like a pebble, creating a large stone that sunk in the bottom of her stomach.

Instead of getting back into bed, she sat on the small armchair in their room in an effort to stay awake. Too often had she gone immediately back to sleep after a bad dream and had a repeat of the same terrifying dream. She stared blankly into the room, trying to focus on anything but the clock or her sleeping husband. After a while she spaced out on the window, thinking about what she had to get done tomorrow on their day off when she was started by his voice.

¨Morning sunshine.¨ Her eyes refocused on her husband's face, and found his green eyes wide open, a small smile working its way onto his face. Faith smiled briefly, but the panic in her gut made her look away from his gaze and focus her eyes on the floor.

That's when she realized that she was afraid of him; afraid of his wrath and afraid of what he could do to her. When she processed that, she felt horribly guilty. She should know better than to let her fears run away with her. But her fear was greater than her guilt and the sensation left.

"It's two in the morning Antonio," she said, softly. He gave a groan, as much of a morning person he could be, it was far too early to be awake.

"What are you doing up so early? Come on back to bed," he said, gesturing with his hands. Faith got up with some trepidation and laid down next to him, letting his arms encircle her. She could feel her heart racing but she knew nothing should be wrong. She knew that she was just making mountains out of molehills. But she was still stiff in his arms. "What's wrong?" he asked, feeling her tension.

"Nothing," she answered quietly. She stole a glance at his face, and he was frowning slightly at her. She looked away, cuddling up to Antonio's bare chest, and splayed her hand on if, feeling its rise and fall. She began to gently spell their names on his bare skin with her fingertip. This was her Antonio. This was real; this was safe. His hands went to her back, and she could feel his fingers burning the skin underneath as his hand rubbed back and forth. She exhaled noticeably as she felt calmer and could feel his concern focusing back on her as he tried to search her face. She kept her gaze stubbornly focused on his chest to avoid anything her face could give away.

"We should get some sleep," she said, trying to take his attention off of her. Antonio was one to not press if the matter was trivial; Faith hoped that he would let this one go. But that was not to happen tonight.

"Something's wrong Faith. Tell me." His voice was low from the lazy sleep-haze. Faith shook her head in reply and shut her eyes. She felt his arm leave it's place around her and reach to grip her chin, tilting her face so that he could see her face. She opened her eyes as he cupped her face, stroking it with his thumbs, only to have his ministrations abruptly stop. "You were crying," he said; a statement not a question. Faith could hear the frustration in his voice as she was left with no more protests; he had worn them all down.

"I just had a bad dream, that's all," she replied, trying to downplay the incident.

"It must have been a pretty bad one if you were crying," Faith broke eye contact with him, so Antonio gently kissed her tear-stained face, and in that moment she broke and finally spilled.

"I had a dream you were hitting me," her voice came out, halting and tinged with fear. Antonio's hands froze on her face and she watched as his eyes darted around. Faith looked away and broke her face from his grip and buried it in his chest so that she would not have to face him, her heart racing. She could feel a strong emotion building up in him as his arms went around her whole body in a tight grip, pulling her close, but she was unsure as to what it really was.

"I'm not going to hit you Faith," his voice was thick with feeling. "Don't you ever doubt that."

"I know, it's irrational and stupid and nothing more than a dream, but it felt so...real." She said into his chest. Again he extracted her from her cocoon and sat up, carefully kissing her, and she responded back, kissing him hard. They broke slowly, gasping for air. Antonio moved to grip her arms when they had finally caught their breaths.

"I don't want you to be afraid of me. I'm not going to hurt you." He looked at her intently, trying to convey so much more than what could be said in words. Faith understood instantly and the dominance the fear held over her was broken.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." She nodded and exhaled. The two slumped down on the bed, but Antonio kept his head propped up on the wall. Emotionally spent, Faith placed her head on Antonio's chest, taking in all that he had told her. Eventually, her exhaustion won out and she fell asleep.

Antonio, for his part, struggled to get back to sleep, and stayed awake for while after wards, the sinking feeling having wormed its way into his gut. Eventually he too fell asleep, but not before vowing multiple times that Faith would never have to any reason to be afraid of what he could do to her.

* * *

**I know that this is no way accurate to actual domestic abuse and her reactions were overblown; but please keep in mind that she was dreaming and that Faith was probably PMSing slightly as well to account for the over panicking.**

**To be honest, I was reading a book for English and it talked about how the main character was beat by the man that loved her because another man was looking at her, and not because of any encouragement on her part. And I couldn't help but wonder about that. Think about it, someone that you love very much hitting you over and over again, and you can't stop them. I know there are self-defense options, but not everyone can appropriately defend themselves against that, especially if you aren't expecting it from the person you love. So I decided to incorporate this into this chapter. **

**Ok, I'm off my soap box. **

**Even though when I originally thought to include the abuse dynamic in this, I wasn't focusing on how this relates to Antonio, I think it's important that he is the character for this one. Characters like Russia, Romania, Germany, France, and some others are easy to see how they could be potential abusers. But Spain has such a sunny personality-to have this great evil fearing from someone like him shows almost the risk people (especially girls though) take in the relationships they get into. It doesn't matter what their ordinary personality is like, there is also the capacity for a darker side to come out.**

**Now I'm off my soap box. Thanks for sticking by me through this messy topic.**

**Sorry it took me so long to update. Please send me words suggestions!**

**Te Amo Mis Amigos de Internet!**


	10. I Promise You

la vela-the candle

recurrir-to turn to

cargado-loaded

* * *

Antonio absentmindedly strummed on the keys of his honey-colored guitar, one that he had bought a couple months back from Gilbert, as he gazed out into the setting sun. While he wasn't particularly gifted with musical abilities, he had always wanted to learn to play the guitar. Or at least, that was one of the reasons why he had the guitar. In truth, he wanted to learn to play for this one special date he had been loosely planning for a couple months now for his girlfriend. Whether or not he would continue to play was uncertain to him, but in the very least he could occasionally perform at the restaurant.

But that was a thought for another time.

This date was a rather elaborate one; he had even sent a formal invitation in the mail to Faith, rather than just calling her like usual. The invitation was printed on some fancy paper and had only given the address, a time, and a notice that is was a semi-formal event. Antonio was pretty proud of how it had turned out; but he had a very good reason to feel that way. He had ended up spending way too much time just trying to figure out how to make and print the stupid card with the candle background. It wasn't even as fancy as he had originally desired; but there were only so many hours in a day to waste on a date invitation.

For his part, he was dressed up in a crisp white shirt dress shirt with the first few buttons undone, black pants with a matching black jacket, and a thin, loose, green tie around his neck. A fedora had come with the outfit, but he had lost it somewhere in his house and was already running behind, so he had decided to scrap it and keep moving.

Because he had only sent the address of their meetup location, Faith didn't know was that he had actually invited her to the local park, where he had created a trail of candles leading to his seated self on a cloistered bench. He had left a sign out to prevent any park-goers picking them up and to direct Faith to where he was. Already though, despite the secluded spot, he had attracted a few park-goers, who had sat themselves closer, while still a respectful distance away, to where he was than they probably would have ordinarily.

To be honest, he didn't know why he even had the candles. Francis had always said that they always added to the romantic atmosphere or whatever, but personally he thought that he looked kinda stupid-a lone man sitting in a park late in the evening, with this sad trail of candles leading to himself, and had felt even stupider when he set the whole thing up.

But when he saw her, somehow it made everything feel ok, even as the wind blew out half the candles. She had left her hair alone except for a green clip placed on the left side of her hair. Her dress was light grey, and extended all the way down to the grass. It had a halter style neckline and if she turned around he would be able to see half of her back exposed.

She didn't see him right away and was following the candles off the side; unsure as to if this was for her or someone else. When she finally spotted him, she walked over with an embarrassed smile avoiding the not-so-subtle gazes of the people around them, clutching at her arms as she shivered as a breeze blew through the trees. She stopped a couple feet in front of him. "I think we are a little overdressed for a night at the park. I could have brought a hoodie or something."

"No we aren't." he simply said, taking her in. She shrugged in response still looking awkward and unsure, and gestured towards the guitar in his hands.

"I didn't know you learned to play guitar."

"I've picked it up kind recently, but I'm nowhere as good as Gil." He paused, feeling his leg begin to bounce and anxiety kick in again. It was time. "I wanted to play you something," he said, his throat dry. She shivered again as another breeze came through, and she walked closer to him to join him on the bench, but Antonio quickly put his guitar to the side, noting her actions. He sat further back on the bench and created an empty spot for her to sit between his legs. When she sat, he picked up his guitar again, surrounding her in his arm's warming embrace, with the guitar now in front of them as he prepared to play.

"Thanks," she said, as she crossed her arms and set them behind the guitar, so that she would not accidentally interfere with his playing.

"No problem," he said, feeling his voice die at the end of the statement. He swallowed and tried to set himself straight. He could not mess this up now.

The song he had learned was called Solo Por Amor (Only for Love) by Samo. It was his favorite romantic song, of a love that had overcome struggles but still continued to go strong with the promise of a future together. It was the perfect song for their relationship and perfect for the moment. He took a deep breath, briefly pushing back his short bangs, and began to strum the guitar with the beginning notes of the song. Quietly, at first, but building with confidence, he began the first verse.

"No sé por qué cruzaste en mi camino (I do not know why you crossed my path)

Una sorpresa nos tenia el destino (destiny had a surprise for us)

Ser delincuentes por amor (To be delincuentes for love)

Esto qué siento no es coincidencia (This that I feel is no coincidence)

Te hiciste parte de mi existencia (You were a part of my existence)." He continued the song, into the next verse, with his voice becoming stronger as he began the chorus.

"Eres tú y soy yo (It's you and it's me)

El rostro de un amor prohibido (the face of a forbidden love)

Eres tú y soy yo (It's you and it's me)

Amándonos junto al peligro (loving each other together through danger)

No me importa lo que venga (I do not care what comes)

Yo estaré contigo (I will be with you)

Eres tú. (It is you)" He resumed strumming the guitar waiting for the next verse to begin. Faith leaned back into his chest with a smile, her eyes meeting his as he sang down to her. He began the next verse, trying to ignore the sensation of her hair brushing his neck and looked out into the dark park and the few candles that were left lit. His voice, while it had probably seen better days, was still pretty decent considering his nerves right now and the fact that he was trying not to screw up on the guitar at the same time.

He sang the chorus the second time, feeling the beat of the song grow stronger and collide with the thumping of his heart. The more and more he sung, the deeper he got into the emotions of the song, and it began to come out into his voice. His bangs had fallen into his face, and he snuck a glance over at Faith, who looked to be deep in thought. Before he knew it, he was nearing the end of the song with the bridge and final chorus.

"Aunque cueste, aunque duela (Even if it costs, even if it hurts)

Junto a ti no me importa lo que venga (With you it doesn't matter what comes)

Yo me iré contigo hasta que el destino quiera. (I will go with you as long as destiny wants)

Eres tu y soy yo, eres tu oh no... (It's you and it's me, it's you)" Finally, mercifully, the last chorus.

Eres tú y soy yo (It's you, it's me)

El rostro de un amor prohibido (The face of a forbidden love)

Eres tú y soy yo (It is you it is me)

Amándonos junto al peligro (Loving each other together through danger

No me importa lo que venga (I do not care what comes)

Yo estaré contigo...( I will be with you)." He finished the last couple of chords, letting his hand fall away as the song ended. Faith lifted her head off of Antonio's chest and sat up, a big smile on her face.

"That was beautiful," she said softly.

"Thanks," he said, exhaling in relief at his success as he put aside his guitar, wrapping his arms around Faith. Breathing in her scent, his mind went blank. All his plans of what he was going to say next went out the window, even though he had made some attempt at a plan on the way over to the park. He froze for a second, feeling his stomach drop. Taking a deep breath, he started talking, praying that it would somehow make sense

"So I know this is a little bit of an odd date," he said softly. Faith laughed a little bit in reply.

"Odd but beautiful," she replied. Antonio smiled briefly in response before continuing.

"But I wanted to do something different because I wanted to talk to you about something important." He breathed for a minute, not daring to look into her face. His mind was still horribly scrambled, and his heart was still beating at the same rate as the beat of the song. That's when he realized the chorus was playing over and over in his head, giving him a sort of inspiration. "I meant every word I sang you know." He leaned down, his cheek pressing up against the side of her face. "No matter what comes, I do not care. I will be with you. Whatever the cost; whatever the pain." He tightened his grip around her slightly, cursing himself for just repeating the song lyrics. But the time to fix his preamble was gone so he finally turned to meet her gaze and asked her the loaded question, pulling the ring out from his shirt pocket.

"Faith Olvera, will you marry me?" She gasped loudly, looking up at him in shock and then back at the ring. Back and forth her gaze went for a little bit as she processed what was happening.

"Yes, yes, oh yes Antonio, yes," she said, finally, tripping over the words in her happiness. He gave a big smile and hugged her tight from behind before carefully taking the ring out of its case and putting it on her finger. The ring was made in the 1920s and was originally his grandmother's. When she died, she had given it to him for when he was to ask a girl to marry him. It had a solid gold band and was set with and emerald stone.

Faith got up and turned to him, holding out her arms. He stood up and returned the tight hug. She leaned up and kissed him on the mouth and he kissed her back with all the love, he had. Her hands played with his hair, twisting the short bit at his neck around her finger, while he cupped her neck. When they separated, while they regained their breath, they could hear the people seated around them starting to clap, and a few wolf-whistles sounded. They separate from each other slightly and Antonio gave a joking bow. A couple of people wished them the best and congratulated them.

Faith turned away from the people after a little bit and returned her arms to their original location around his neck and looked into his forest-green eyes. Then she opened her mouth and to Antonio's surprise, softly sang to him her reply.

"No me importa lo que venga (I do not care what comes)

Yo estaré contigo (I will be with you)

Eres tú. (It is you)" Antonio's smile grew wide as he touched his forehead to hers, his gaze never leaving hers. He kissed her slowly this time; savoring her and savoring the moment.

This was their promise.

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! So here is chapter ten! Hopefully it is nice a fluffy as usual. Please look up the song; I did not give it complete justice in this fic and you really need to hear all of it. Here is a link to the song: **

** watch?v=8C_ap0hejxc&amp;list=LL9nx4aRbVRKu6cCWTCEeTXg&amp;index=1**

**I have made some changes to the poll contestants. Our choices are now North Italy, South Italy, France, Netherlands, Turkey, or England. If you like this fic and you see your favorite character listed, please vote at the poll I have on my profile! Please! Still in the lead are North Italy and South Italy with 1 point apiece. **

**So I have been working out the rest of the story. At first it was going to have 20 chapters, but I have made the executive decision to shorten it down to 15. I wanted to finish this fic before I got out of school, but at the pace I have been going right now, I will not finish in time. So I am now only aiming for 15 chapters.**

**As always, please send in word suggestions! Leave a review if you like it :)**

**Te Amo mis Amigos de Internet!**


	11. You, Me, and Your Parents

la apertura-opening

gozar-to enjoy

lindo/a-cute

* * *

Every Sunday, Antonio went over to his parent's house for a big lunch after morning Mass. He had been doing it ever since he moved out; it made his mama happy, and he got better fed on Sundays than probably any other day of the week. It was a win-win situation all the way around.

So this week was no exception. But as they were finishing the main meal and were sopping up the last of the sauce on their plates with their bread, his mother had insisted that he invite Faith to come with them next week.

"I want to meet this girl Antonio; you haven't talked about anyone lately, so she must be pretty important to you." Then she gave him one of those pointed looks; that meant she was going to be there next week regardless of any plans she might have, or Antonio telling her no.

It was true that he hadn't really had a girlfriend since college. He had been on dates, but they never really went anywhere from there; either one of them was not as interested in the other, or it just didn't work out. He sighed and wiped his hands on his napkin, leaning back in his chair.

"I'll ask her tomorrow." And he did, she accepted enthusiastically and Antonio could not help but smile at her.

So that was how the two of them ended up at the doorstep of his parent's house, Faith carrying a container of croquetas under her arm.

"Antonio, so nice to see you again, come here and give your mama a kiss," Antonio obeyed, kissing his mother's cheek. When she released him, he angled his body back to Faith who was standing in the opening of the door, unsure as to what to do.

"Mama, this is Faith," he said reaching out his hand for her. She accepted it, her palms slightly sweaty out of nervousness, and allowed him to lead her into the house.

"Oh my goodness, she is so cute!" She gave Faith a big hug, causing the two to let go of each other's hands, and as she caught sight of the container, her eyes widened. "And she brought food! Dios mio Antonio, this one is a keeper." She ushered them in, calling back to her husband, "Oye, Antonio and Faith are here, cariño." Antonio's father popped up around the corner.

"Hello Faith. Welcome to our house," he said, offering out his hand to shake.

"Thank you for having me over," she replied, shaking his hand, as she adjusted to seeing her boss outside of work. Antonio was used to the dual nature of his relationship with his father; he had been working at the restaurant since he was 10, but there were always those days where he had kept professional politeness at home, or casual jokes during work.

"Well the food is ready, so we can all go to the table and sit down there," Antonio's mother said, leading them back to the dining room. She had outdone herself even more than usual as the table was almost completely covered with food.

"Mama, you did to much. Did you invite Gilbert and Francis here without telling me?" Antonio asked her.

"No, no, I just wanted to make things special for you both, I hope you enjoy it." Faith ducked her head in appreciation, and Antonio couldn't help but give a wry smile. His mother was truly a superwoman.

As the meal started, they all got themselves more comfortable, and Antonio could feel the awkwardness of the situation begin to fade. After a while, though the conversation had descended into silence, his mother, wanting to keep it going, turned to Faith.

"So, do you have any siblings Faith?" she asked.

"Well, I have an older sister and a younger half-brother."

"That's wonderful! What are they up to right now?" Antonio can hear the strain in his mother's voice as she tries to conceal her sadness, and he picks at his food without eating. His mother always wanted to have more babies after him, but after several miscarriages, his parents stopped trying to conceive. Babies and siblings were still a sore subject for his mother, even though she still insisted in asking about them.

"My brother is back in the United States with my dad right now while my sister is about to enter secondary school."

"Do you see your dad often?" his mom follows up, trying to get off the painful subject (who knows why she even raised it in the first place?). But this time it is Faith's turn to go quiet, and Antonio groans internally. Things had taken a turn for the worst rather quickly.

"Not really. It has been a while since I have last seen him." She pushes her chicken around on her plate as silence descended on the table before she finally gave up on appearances of eating, and put her hands on her lap. He carefully reached out his left hand and placed it in her right, concealed underneath the table. It was time to get off of this subject.

His mother, who noticed everything though, cut in with a question before Antonio could come up with a safer topic.

"So how long have you guys been going out?" Antonio, who was taking a sip of water at the moment, forgot how to breathe. When he finally could remember, water had gotten stuck in his throat and he started coughing.

It's not that he didn't think that they were dating or not; it's just that he didn't think at all. They had not really sat down and said what they were. They just existed-together. Ever since they reconnected at the restaurant, they had been in touch more often than not, whether just hanging out or texting.

Even with all this though, Antonio still hesitated to call her his girlfriend. He looked over at her, unsure as to what she was thinking, but Faith seemed just as caught off-guard as he was. It took him a minute to finally choke out a reply.

"Mama, we haven't really talked about it," he said when he finally regained his composure. His father had an eyebrow quirked and was poorly trying to hide a smirk. Antonio shot him a glare, but had to admit the situation was almost funny. His only option at this point was to ride out the storm

"Well then talk already!" she huffed, exasperated at her son-who is in desperate need of a suitable girlfriend. She picked up some plates, "You two go out to the patio and talk, your Papi and I will be there soon." Antonio let out a sigh of relief; crisis averted.

"Do you want any help?" Faith offered, rising as well. Sra. Carriedo made snort of derision.

"No, I want you two to go and talk," she replied, without looking up from her work. When neither of them moved, she forcefully put down the plates, stood up straighter, and made shooing motions with her hands. "Out. Now."

The two made their way over to the enclosed space overlooking the road.

"Sorry about that, my mom is uh, a little eager to see me with someone. We don't have to talk about this if you don't want to." He looked to her out the corner of his eyes.

"Well, I dunno. I mean, we have never really discussed this. I mean, we have kissed some, but, well, what are we exactly?" She looked up at him, her face showing a mixture of vulnerability, hope, and uncertainty.

"I've always thought of you more than a friend." Antonio said casually, before realizing the full importance of his words. He could feel his cheeks heating up slightly, but Faith's face flushed bright red at his words.

"So are you my boyfriend?" she asked quietly. He stepped closer to her and cupped her face. He pressed his lips to her lips while gently stroking her cheekbones, the answer to her question made plain in his actions. The continued kissing, losing themselves to the world and to everything around them. Suddenly, a coughing noise brought them back to where they were. There, in the doorway stood Antonio's parents. Antonio and Faith flushed and took a step back, away from the other.

"Well cariño, it looks like they are dating after all," his mother said, smiling at her husband.

* * *

**A/N:Oye means something like listen up, listen to this; carino-dear; croquetas=ham, cheese, and potatoes fried in a ball.**

**Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out, I was struggling on how I wanted to write this, but I finally made myself sit down and write it.**

**So bad news, I have exams that start in two weeks that will then proceed to last for two weeks. I have four chapters left, and I want to finish this story by the week of June 10. So there is potential for an update next week, but if I do not update by this time next week, assume it's going to be another two weeks. And then I will be cranking these out hopefully until June. I have already decided who I'm going to do next, so the poll has been taken down. More news about when that will be coming out in future chapters. **

**Also, side note, I'm sorry if Antonio's mother was way too stereotypical. I had to read Pride and Prejudice, so I had the image of Mrs. Bennett in my head (for those of you who don't know, she is very nosy and involved in her kids lives and trying to get them married). And so I decided to make Sra Carriedo like her.**

**Te Amo Mis Amigos de Internet!**


	12. Just Us

coquetón-flirtatious

tardar-to be late/to take time

tesoro/a-treasure

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Faith stood on a bluff and looked out to the ocean waves crashing on the shore of the beach, gently stroking her protruding stomach. It was the middle of July and the two had decided to head to the beach for the day while they both had the time off.

"Where do you want to put our stuff?" Antonio asked, coming up beside her elbow. The two scanned the beach below, spotting a clear area beside an elderly napping couple and a group of teenage girls on holiday and headed there. Despite being laden down with the umbrella and the beach bag, Antonio still grabbed Faith's hand and held it tight as they weaved their way down the to the spot. Faith rubbed her thumb on his finger, her touch light and soft, a constant between them.

The settled into their spot and spread out their beach towels. While Antonio set up the umbrella, Faith took off her white beach dress revealing her purple one piece bathing suit. It had rushing along the middle, so that it could stretch out more as the baby grew. She had bought it specifically for today, and doubted she would ever use it again. Antonio wanted to go to the beach though, and there was no way she was not getting in the water, so she had to buy it. She rifled through the bag, looking for the sunscreen. Antonio though, was already one step ahead of her.

"Sunscreen?" he asked, holding out the tube.

¨Yeah, thanks," she said, taking it from his outstretched hand. She opened up the bottle while Antonio took off his white tank top, and the two passed the tube back and forth as they put it on themselves

"Hey, can you get my back for me?" he asked when he had finished.

"Yeah, sure," Faith answered, while finishing up her arms. Antonio re-positioned himself so that his back was facing Faith. She squirted out the cream onto her palm and rubbed them together before rubbing up and down her husband's tan back. Tracing his spine and his shoulder blades, she worked silently for a bit until every bit of the cream had vanished into his skin. "All done querido." Antonio turned around and grinned at Faith before standing up.

"You're turn," he said, while gesturing for her to scoot forward. She complied and he settled behind her, stretching his legs out so that his feet came just before her knees. Carefully, he started at her shoulders and neck and then worked his way down until he reached the top of her bathing suit. Faith sighed in pure bliss. His hands, while usually warm, were cooled by the cream, which was a welcome relief from the hot sun beating down on her back. When he lifted his hands away, she sighed in disappointment, but still put a smile on her face and thanked him. She leaned back up against his chest while Antonio leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"How's my little treasure doing?" he asked, while reaching down to place his hand over the baby.

"Doing good," Faith hummed in reply. They both smiled and then Antonio gave Faith another kiss before standing up again and offering both his hands to help her up, for which Faith was grateful.

"So what are we going to do now?" she asked as they stood facing each other.

Antonio, who by now had put on his sunglasses, pauses for a second. Then his mischievous smile appears on his face, and suddenly, the next thing Faith knew he had swept her off of her feet and ran towards the ocean, carrying her bridal style. She laughed loudly in surprise, and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck so that she wouldn't fall, as the water began to touch her dangling feet. He stopped walking when the water was about knee deep, but he didn't toss her in, ever mindful of their baby, and instead carefully set her down in front of him. As the water lapped against their legs, he wrapped his arms around her stomach and rested his chin on her shoulder.

After a while with neither of them saying anything, Faith leaned her face up against Antonio's. "You okay Antonio?" she asked, concerned with his sudden change in mood. He was usually talked more than this.

"Yeah, I'm good," he didn't elaborate anymore, and Faith hummed in response, not exactly happy with his response, but not wanting to ruin the moment. The two started walking down the beach together, exploring down the shore, watching as the fish nibble at each other's toes.

"Hey look at that!" Faith said, while she pointed at a spot by the shore.

"Wait-where agh!" Faith giggled as she splashed Antonio with water.

"That's payback!" she said through her laughter.

"I didn't even toss you in the water though!" he complained, but still, he couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. "I think I swallowed salt water," he said miserably.

"Aww poor baby." Faith said, giving him a quick peck. "Come on, let's go back and you can get a drink from your water bottle." Antonio poked her arm.

"I thought that kiss was help enough." Faith sighed and turned around, pecking him again.

"Better?"

"No."

"Well, you're just going to have to deal with it," Faith replied, as she started to lead him back to their spot. Antonio chuckled.

"Come on, please..."

"So Laura is going to university and Tim is going back to the Netherlands?" Faith asked changing the subject. Antonio sighed but answered the question.

"Yes. She's actually going to one in Belgium. I don't think Tim is taking this too well, which is probably why he is going back home."

"So we're going to have to get more workers." Antonio sighed and ran his hands through his hair. It wasn't in his nature to worry too much about work, but hiring new people was probably one of his least favorite things about working at the restaurant.

"Yeah, between them and you leaving, I'm gonna have to get some new people fast and train them. I'm going to be working a lot of overtime."

"It's ok," Faith said, while watching a fish dart around their legs. "You'll take time off when the baby comes right?"

"Yeah, my dad is okay with taking over whenever the baby comes." She kissed him on the cheek.

"Good, then I say we don't think about work for the rest of the day," she said, with a cheeky smile on her face.

"And what would you have us think on instead, Sra. Carriedo?" Antonio said, playing along, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her in front of him.

"I think señor, that we should talk about that little spot right there on your face," she said reaching up and pressing her lips to his, as if she was getting rid of this fake spot. Both their lips parted, and they became lost in a world of just themselves.

It had been a while since they had been this flirtatious. They had both been caught up in everyday life for a while; to be able to relax and to hang out, to be just them, had often been pushed to the side. And when Faith became pregnant-all of a sudden there wasn't just the two of them,-but now another person who they had to think about and plan for.

So they took this moment today for the two of them. There weren't going to be many more for a while. But they were okay with that. Just as long as they had today.

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**A/N: I would like to apologize for how late this chapter is. I had IB exams for about three weeks straight, and then I just didn't finish writing this chapter. But I sat down today and made myself do it, so tada. I'm not completely happy with this one, but here is it.**

**So either this chapter or the next one will be the last one. I have scrapped the 15th chapter. More than likely the next chapter will be the last one.**

**Thanks to Tavialover14 for the favorite. Sorry I didn't recognize you before, I've been a mess.**

**I changed the genders of Faith's siblings from the last chapter because it conflicted with information from chapter 8. Faith has an older sister and a younger half-brother.**

**Te Amo mis Amigos de Internet!**


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